Portal:Michigan highways/Selected article/February 2013

M-553 is a north–south state trunkline highway in Marquette County. It is the main highway connection between M-35 near Gwinn and the expressway segment of US 41/M-28 in Marquette. In between, the highway runs to the west of the Sawyer International Airport on the site of a former US Air Force base, in the Sands Plains area. The intersection with CR 480, known locally as the Crossroads, is the site of several businesses. North of this location, M-553 runs through some hilly terrain around a local ski hill.

The trunkline was originally CR 553, which dates back to the 1930s and was fully paved in the 1940s; a segment was relocated in the 1950s. The county road was transferred by the Marquette County Road Commission to MDOT jurisdiction in 1998. MDOT assigned most of the former county road the M-553 designation after the transfer was complete. One section that was less than a mile (about 1.3 km) was given the M-554 designation. This trunkline was unsigned by the state. In 2005, control of various roadways was exchanged between the City of Marquette and MDOT, and M-553 was extended through the city. At the same time, M-554 was turned over to the city's jurisdiction. (more...)

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